Protecting ocean coastal areas from fishing, mining and other human activities can also help people who live nearby, finds a new study published in the journal Nature Sustainability.
People who lived near these areas had better food security and higher household wealth, the study found. The region studied is the Mesoamerican coral reef system, which extends off the east coast of Central America for about 970 kilometers from Mexico south to Honduras.
The study authors analyzed existing surveys of more than 80 fish species conducted by the Healthy Reefs for Healthy People regional initiative from 2005 to 2018. They found that fish were 27 percent more abundant in fully protected areas compared to non-protected areas. protected. Fish populations remained stable or increased over time in protected areas.
“The most important finding for me is that marine protected areas can achieve these benefits” for both humans and fish, said Steven Canty, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Center for Environmental Research and one of the study’s authors.
The ecosystem is home to more than 60 species of corals and 500 species of fish. Critically endangered animals live around the reef, such as the saltwater crocodile and the loggerhead turtle. Around 2 million people live on the coast, with economies closely linked to the reef.
Countries worldwide are creating more marine protected areas. Scientists, policy makers, industries and communities have debated for years whether these areas are working as intended to support fish populations and whether they help or hurt their human neighbors. The new study supports the idea that marine protected areas, at least those with strict fishing bans, also benefit the health and wealth of local people, even in a region where people have traditionally relied on fishing.
“We’re still grappling with some of these fundamental questions — not just in this region, but elsewhere — about what works and what doesn’t work in conservation,” said Justin Nowakowski, a conservation biologist at the Smithsonian Center for Environmental Research and author study principal.
While climate change remains a long-term challenge for reefs, restricting fishing can take some of the pressure off them, the authors said. The oldest protected areas on the Mesoamerican Reef were established in the 1970s, and more than 40 protected areas today cover half of the region’s coastal waters. But not all strictly prohibit fishing; some simply put limits on catches or prohibit certain equipment.
The researchers analyzed socioeconomic data from surveys in Guatemala and Honduras conducted by the United States Agency for International Development. They found that children in communities within 10 kilometers of marine protected areas were about 40 percent less likely to experience stunted growth due to malnutrition, compared with children who lived farther away. They also found that households near fully protected areas had 33 percent more wealth than others.
Some argue that increased biodiversity can help communities develop ecotourism industries and alternative sources of income.
By: DELGER ERDENESANAA
BBC-NEWS-SRC: http://www.nytsyn.com/subscribed/stories/6790213, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-07-04 20:50:06
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